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Intersolar Union #1
Convergence
Olivia Loxley was a behaviorist with the Los Angeles Police Department. Until her specialty in profiling the human mind becomes of unique interest to Commander Atarian, that is.
When she wakes up in a cell on an alien spacecraft, she gathers her strength for a confrontation that never materializes. Instead, the man asks for her help in the largest raid he's ever overseen: a pleasure cruiser christened the Paramour, which has been siphoning humans into galactic sex trafficking for months. But in order for his mission to go off without a hitch, he needs to impersonate a connoisseur of human flesh.
The real question is, will either of them be able to keep up professional boundaries? Or will they bow to their primal instincts?
***
Features explicit adult scenes - mature readers only. All of my books are Slow Burn, HEA.
When she wakes up in a cell on an alien spacecraft, she gathers her strength for a confrontation that never materializes. Instead, the man asks for her help in the largest raid he's ever overseen: a pleasure cruiser christened the Paramour, which has been siphoning humans into galactic sex trafficking for months. But in order for his mission to go off without a hitch, he needs to impersonate a connoisseur of human flesh.
The real question is, will either of them be able to keep up professional boundaries? Or will they bow to their primal instincts?
***
Features explicit adult scenes - mature readers only. All of my books are Slow Burn, HEA.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2021
410 people are currently reading
2395 people want to read
About the author
Etta Pierce
17 books298 followersI'm a hopeless academic and science fiction romance author. I write intelligent women, complicated men, and slow burn steam! My first series, the Intersolar Union Series, is ongoing with many more series and books planned for the future. Strap in for the long haul, guys, I'm here to stay and crank out some good romantic fiction!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 353 reviews
June 12, 2023
I really really wanted to love this because it was such a great premise but two things got me before the 50% mark (one was mildly annoying, the other was a total dealbreaker)
SPOILER:
I was very excited when I started this book because it had a bit of a serious tone and that's unusual in sci-fi romances (other than the legends like Homebound or Last Hour of Gann). I was enjoying it early on and gearing up for a satisfying read that I could sink my teeth into and then... Pom Pom. Please please for the love of all that is good and holy can we stop with the annoying, precocious child exposition tool??? I would literally do anything to never again read "he's really nice, even though he looks scary!" or some derivative of it. It completely sabotages all the work that went into building atmosphere, tension, the alienness, etc. to hear "it's super cool!", "I'm gonna kick butt", "OMG". Why? Why sink all the great work that was just done to help us understand the seriousness of the situation? The appeal of alien romances, in particular, is the alienness, the otherness, the cultural clash that is overcome to find romance. Don't kneecap it with tiktok dialogue from unnecessary side characters.
Second, I really struggled with one of the first sexual scenes in the book. It had the standard, "I'm surprised at how aroused I am by him" vibe which I usually enjoy but in this case it was really off. They were performing to a certain extent because the room was monitored. The issue is they were in the room with two naked children (one who was about 10, the other 15) who had been sold as sex slaves and had already been molested. She even gets off a joking "damn" when he pretends to pass out. The children were huddling in the corner, naked, with a chain around the neck of the younger child. It was possibly the least sexy thing I had ever read. While she was thinking about how wet she was, there were two sexually abused children 4 feet away. It made me sick. It made me hate her. The plan was to save them, but the idea that there was sexual tension between the MCs in that scene was honestly awful.
SPOILER:
I was very excited when I started this book because it had a bit of a serious tone and that's unusual in sci-fi romances (other than the legends like Homebound or Last Hour of Gann). I was enjoying it early on and gearing up for a satisfying read that I could sink my teeth into and then... Pom Pom. Please please for the love of all that is good and holy can we stop with the annoying, precocious child exposition tool??? I would literally do anything to never again read "he's really nice, even though he looks scary!" or some derivative of it. It completely sabotages all the work that went into building atmosphere, tension, the alienness, etc. to hear "it's super cool!", "I'm gonna kick butt", "OMG". Why? Why sink all the great work that was just done to help us understand the seriousness of the situation? The appeal of alien romances, in particular, is the alienness, the otherness, the cultural clash that is overcome to find romance. Don't kneecap it with tiktok dialogue from unnecessary side characters.
Second, I really struggled with one of the first sexual scenes in the book. It had the standard, "I'm surprised at how aroused I am by him" vibe which I usually enjoy but in this case it was really off. They were performing to a certain extent because the room was monitored. The issue is they were in the room with two naked children (one who was about 10, the other 15) who had been sold as sex slaves and had already been molested. She even gets off a joking "damn" when he pretends to pass out. The children were huddling in the corner, naked, with a chain around the neck of the younger child. It was possibly the least sexy thing I had ever read. While she was thinking about how wet she was, there were two sexually abused children 4 feet away. It made me sick. It made me hate her. The plan was to save them, but the idea that there was sexual tension between the MCs in that scene was honestly awful.
July 6, 2025
Did I just find a new favorite scifi romance series?! I was sucked into CONVERGENCE from the first chapter and loved everything about it -- from the way Olivia and Atarian met, to the slow burn romance, to the interesting types of aliens, to the kickass heroine. Humans getting abducted by aliens is basically the bread and butter of scifi romance but I loved that Etta Pierce have readers a new spin on this classic trope.
CONVERGENCE did an excellent job of balancing the science fiction with the romance and I loved learning about the different alien species and their cultures. There's an attention to detail that was done really well without it feeling overly science-y and bogged down in the minutia. I also enjoyed seeing Olivia teaching Atarian and the others about human culture and how to interact with humans. Olivia got a lot of new things thrown her way after her abduction and the way she adapted and worked with it all just really showed her competence and determination. Once she realized her greater purpose in exploring space and helping humans she was ready to embark on a ton of adventures. I found Olivia to be a really enjoyable character and I liked her resilience, strength, and compassion.
Atarian was also a fantastic character and I liked that he's this tough special ops alien soldier who's also secretly a gentleman. The respect and care he showed Olivia after he abducted her was written really well. He knew kidnapping her from Earth was wrong but it was the only way he could save hundreds of other humans; he made the hard decision but he did so with empathy and care. And when the mating urges started kicking in and he was trying to resist them...hello growly and possessive alien!
But the best part of CONVERGENCE is that Pierce knows what it means to write a slow burn romance. There was so much delicious sexual tension between Olivia and Atarian as they circled each other. It took almost the whole book for these two to fully get together but it's so worth it! Between the chemistry and the tension and some sexy shenanigans along the way, I was dying for these two to finally admit their feelings and give in. Pierce definitely puts the *burn* in slow burn.
I can't wait to read the rest of this series which I'll be starting right away because I need more of Olivia and Atarian and I can't wait to get the stories for some of the side characters. I'm looking at you Vin.
Content Warning: depictions of human trafficking and sex slavery (brief and not graphic); short on page torture scene (not the MCs)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Connected Series:
1. Intersolar Union
2. Over the Moon
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
“Why did you abduct me?” I asked in a calm, stern voice.
“Acquired,” he corrected.
“Kidnapped,” I rebutted.
“Acquired,” he said again, crossing his arms.
“Captured.”
- - - - -
“You told me that you were a pioneer, not a settler. You wanted adventure, to see the galaxy and all it has to offer. The look in your eyes, Olivia, souls… it was enough to move a man to poetry. I couldn’t force my pioneer to settle.”
“Thel…No matter what adventures lay ahead, I still want an anchor for my ship.”
- - - - -
“Are you coming, Commander Atarian?”
He stood and prowled after me with a devilish glint in his violet eyes. “Not until you do, Dr Loxley.”
CONVERGENCE did an excellent job of balancing the science fiction with the romance and I loved learning about the different alien species and their cultures. There's an attention to detail that was done really well without it feeling overly science-y and bogged down in the minutia. I also enjoyed seeing Olivia teaching Atarian and the others about human culture and how to interact with humans. Olivia got a lot of new things thrown her way after her abduction and the way she adapted and worked with it all just really showed her competence and determination. Once she realized her greater purpose in exploring space and helping humans she was ready to embark on a ton of adventures. I found Olivia to be a really enjoyable character and I liked her resilience, strength, and compassion.
Atarian was also a fantastic character and I liked that he's this tough special ops alien soldier who's also secretly a gentleman. The respect and care he showed Olivia after he abducted her was written really well. He knew kidnapping her from Earth was wrong but it was the only way he could save hundreds of other humans; he made the hard decision but he did so with empathy and care. And when the mating urges started kicking in and he was trying to resist them...hello growly and possessive alien!
But the best part of CONVERGENCE is that Pierce knows what it means to write a slow burn romance. There was so much delicious sexual tension between Olivia and Atarian as they circled each other. It took almost the whole book for these two to fully get together but it's so worth it! Between the chemistry and the tension and some sexy shenanigans along the way, I was dying for these two to finally admit their feelings and give in. Pierce definitely puts the *burn* in slow burn.
I can't wait to read the rest of this series which I'll be starting right away because I need more of Olivia and Atarian and I can't wait to get the stories for some of the side characters. I'm looking at you Vin.
Content Warning: depictions of human trafficking and sex slavery (brief and not graphic); short on page torture scene (not the MCs)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Connected Series:
1. Intersolar Union
2. Over the Moon
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Favorite Quotes:
“Why did you abduct me?” I asked in a calm, stern voice.
“Acquired,” he corrected.
“Kidnapped,” I rebutted.
“Acquired,” he said again, crossing his arms.
“Captured.”
- - - - -
“You told me that you were a pioneer, not a settler. You wanted adventure, to see the galaxy and all it has to offer. The look in your eyes, Olivia, souls… it was enough to move a man to poetry. I couldn’t force my pioneer to settle.”
“Thel…No matter what adventures lay ahead, I still want an anchor for my ship.”
- - - - -
“Are you coming, Commander Atarian?”
He stood and prowled after me with a devilish glint in his violet eyes. “Not until you do, Dr Loxley.”
March 15, 2022
From the first pages of Convergence, I was completely caught up in this story. Olivia is a behavioral analyst for the police and she gets abducted in a very tense scene from her apartment. She doesn't get a good look at her attacker, but eventually figures out she's been abducted by an alien. An alien with a higher purpose, to save other humans who've been abducted and are being abused. Thel is exactly the kind of alien I'd want to be abducted by though because he's strong, honorable, and considerate. He's also a commander of a special ops group doing peacekeeping in space and Olivia ends up being a crucial piece to their mission's success.
Olivia shines throughout the book with her strength and resilience. I loved both main characters so much. They're both attracted to each other fairly quickly, but there's some push/pull, esp on Thel's part because he's trying to respect Olivia's choices, which is awww but also makes you want to shake him in practice. The story is told in first person POV for Olivia and then there are third person POVs for Thel and a couple other side characters. No ow drama or om drama (although Thel is j/p and flips out over benign interactions with other males); neither are virgins but no mention of past history. This is slow burn, but the tension is...just whew, it's built up and built up and then *pop*. Most of the story takes place on spaceships, with one on-planet part.
Some of the tropes I love about alien romance are here - initial struggles to communicate, cultural challenges, h triggering H's urge to mate her, learning physical differences during steamy times. The world building is there, but I wished it was a bit more in depth on some aspects. The pacing of the story with the suspense and tension of the abduction and then the mission, along with the sexual tension, was really well done though. The book does end on a HFN and there's already a shorter 2nd book in series that follows these characters to the H's home world.
The author does mention in a note at the end that she plans on re-editing so at the time that I read this, there were some smaller editing needs, but nothing that took me out of the story. I will definitely read more of her books!
Triggers: abduction, mentions/scenes of side characters being sex trafficked, violence
Olivia shines throughout the book with her strength and resilience. I loved both main characters so much. They're both attracted to each other fairly quickly, but there's some push/pull, esp on Thel's part because he's trying to respect Olivia's choices, which is awww but also makes you want to shake him in practice. The story is told in first person POV for Olivia and then there are third person POVs for Thel and a couple other side characters. No ow drama or om drama (although Thel is j/p and flips out over benign interactions with other males); neither are virgins but no mention of past history. This is slow burn, but the tension is...just whew, it's built up and built up and then *pop*. Most of the story takes place on spaceships, with one on-planet part.
Some of the tropes I love about alien romance are here - initial struggles to communicate, cultural challenges, h triggering H's urge to mate her, learning physical differences during steamy times. The world building is there, but I wished it was a bit more in depth on some aspects. The pacing of the story with the suspense and tension of the abduction and then the mission, along with the sexual tension, was really well done though. The book does end on a HFN and there's already a shorter 2nd book in series that follows these characters to the H's home world.
The author does mention in a note at the end that she plans on re-editing so at the time that I read this, there were some smaller editing needs, but nothing that took me out of the story. I will definitely read more of her books!
Triggers: abduction, mentions/scenes of side characters being sex trafficked, violence
November 24, 2023
This was a good start to the series, it’s heavy on the sci-fi and I felt confused at times. However it was an interesting read.
March 25, 2025
6 stars. Literally loved everything about this
dnf
August 9, 2024DNF 31%
I don't have much time to read these days, so when I do read, I want it to be something enjoyable. I'm not sure what didn't click for me here though, but there are a few things I want to comment on.
The characters were okay, I suppose? I just couldn't connect with them. Especially with Olivia. She'd been abducted (I mean, acquired...) by an alien commander who has for objective to rescue humans from a human trafficking space cruise. He needs her knowledge as a behavioral analyst (or something like that) to teach him, so he can pretend to be a connoisseur in human slaves who tries to buy slaves as a cover, as part of the rescue mission.
The premise was somewhat interesting, but I just didn't like how easily Olivia got on board with helping the aliens. I mean, she just got abducted from her home, learned that she can never see her family ever again, or Earth at all, and she pretty much has no emotion about it. She got over it so quickly. Less than 48h later, she is pretty much a part of the crew. I just...I don't know.
Atarian was a bit boring. Like, he was protective and serious but lacked something to really intrigue me. PomPom, the little alien child was an 'exposition tool' in this story, which was quite annoying to read.
I also wasn't a fan of the first person POV for her but third person POV for him. Also the writing wasn't my style. Why not keep everything first POV or third POV? But that's probably just my own preference. It was a bit confusing to follow.
One detail that I did like was how the humans abducted for sex trafficking weren't just human women (like so many other stories with the same concept). The humans were from all ages, all races, women, men, teenagers, elderly, children; which elevated the stakes and how horrifying and heartbreaking the situation may be.
So yeah, this books didn't click with me. I think there might be some more interesting parts in the story later on, but the beginning doesn't speak to me at all. I find it hard to immerse myself, and like the main character. Maybe I'll come back to this book eventually.
Safety up to 31%
✔️Standalone part of a series
✔️Dual POV
✔️MC's age
✔️Protective/ Broody H
✔️Strong h
✔️No cheating
✔️No OW/OM
🔥 Steam level: 1/5
⚡ Content warning
⚡ Trigger warning
I don't have much time to read these days, so when I do read, I want it to be something enjoyable. I'm not sure what didn't click for me here though, but there are a few things I want to comment on.
The characters were okay, I suppose? I just couldn't connect with them. Especially with Olivia. She'd been abducted (I mean, acquired...) by an alien commander who has for objective to rescue humans from a human trafficking space cruise. He needs her knowledge as a behavioral analyst (or something like that) to teach him, so he can pretend to be a connoisseur in human slaves who tries to buy slaves as a cover, as part of the rescue mission.
The premise was somewhat interesting, but I just didn't like how easily Olivia got on board with helping the aliens. I mean, she just got abducted from her home, learned that she can never see her family ever again, or Earth at all, and she pretty much has no emotion about it. She got over it so quickly. Less than 48h later, she is pretty much a part of the crew. I just...I don't know.
Atarian was a bit boring. Like, he was protective and serious but lacked something to really intrigue me. PomPom, the little alien child was an 'exposition tool' in this story, which was quite annoying to read.
I also wasn't a fan of the first person POV for her but third person POV for him. Also the writing wasn't my style. Why not keep everything first POV or third POV? But that's probably just my own preference. It was a bit confusing to follow.
One detail that I did like was how the humans abducted for sex trafficking weren't just human women (like so many other stories with the same concept). The humans were from all ages, all races, women, men, teenagers, elderly, children; which elevated the stakes and how horrifying and heartbreaking the situation may be.
So yeah, this books didn't click with me. I think there might be some more interesting parts in the story later on, but the beginning doesn't speak to me at all. I find it hard to immerse myself, and like the main character. Maybe I'll come back to this book eventually.
Safety up to 31%
✔️Standalone part of a series
✔️Dual POV
✔️MC's age
✔️Protective/ Broody H
✔️Strong h
✔️No cheating
✔️No OW/OM
🔥 Steam level: 1/5
⚡ Content warning
⚡ Trigger warning
May 24, 2023
i have an exam in 5 hours and didn't sleep to finish this, was it worth? no 😔
December 13, 2022
In this human female profiler and behaviourist Dr Olivia Loxley is acquired by aliens for her expertise in human behaviour. Kidnapped and awakening on an alien ship she is introduced to a whole new world one where the possibilities are now endless. Unable to return home after her job of assistance in liberating some enslaved humans is complete Olivia has some big life decisions to make and one of those choices is the huge alien Commander that though different in appearance is slowly becoming Olivia’s reason to exist.
What a nice surprise this was surprisingly good I’ve never experienced this author before and I enjoyed this a lot. I believe this one is her debut book which is impressive indeed. It wasn’t a full sweep from me but damn near close and I’m sure as the writing in later books evolves this author is definitely going to be one to watch for sure.
This is a sci-fi romance with equal emphasis on the Sci-fi -aspect as well as the romance side which I think is missed out on a lot in this particular romance sub-genre. This is where this book gets major brownie points the visuals and descriptions of life aboard a spacecraft felt authentic and believable and this really was my favourite part of this it was just so rich in detail. I’m now so excited for future books set in this world.
So the sci-fi part of this ticked every one of my boxes but the romance for me did lag behind somewhat. I did enjoy the developed relationship and eventual connection between Olivia and Commander Atarian that we eventually achieved but there were aspects of it leading up to this that certainly irritated me mostly I think Atarian’s completely obtuse behaviour making decisions all on his lonesome about what Olivia might need and want. He made so many groundless assumptions and Instead of him suppressing his delicious primal side I wanted to see more of it him giving in to his instincts and alien genetics. I wanted Atarian to go full alpha caveman on his chosen mate, flip that civilised switch behave much more primal alien and less civilised in control commander. I never did quite get why he didn’t just have a conversation regarding all this with Olivia and why it was so imperative he stayed in control and not give in to his convergence desires.
Olivia was everything I love in a heroine she was strong Capable but also had vulnerability. She wasn’t a TSTL girl but considered all her options and acted accordingly. She wasn’t a drama queen or in any way whiny she was the sort of girl who knew her strengths as well as her weaknesses and knew when to stand back or step forward. She also wasn’t afraid to admit to her fears and simply pushed through recognising it wasn’t a weakness but a strength to know when to use caution. I liked her a lot.
Commander Thel Atarian is the man or in this case alien in charge. It’s through his orders that Olivia is acquired and he handles this personally taking all responsibility for the decision. His intentions though unethical are honourable. One human female to save the many. There are over a thousand trafficked humans aboard the paramour and the commander believes that Olivia is vital to his mission's success. Atarian is a Venandi much larger than a human male with protective plates and various colourings. He has a crown of spires and mandible’s so much different from what Olivia is used to.
I was also excited to realise upon finishing this that there is more Atarian and Olivia to come. I for one am so happy as this was slow burn so that meant I didn’t get to see a great deal of these two all loved together up and behaving as a connected unit. I’m now looking forward to experiencing their relationship evolve to the next logical level.
Finally, this was well written with such a good attention to detail that was consistent throughout. The romance at the centre was slow burn and it had believable chemistry. It was imaginative with some excellent world-building and the characters both main and side ones were all fully faceted there were no weak links here and this easily managed to engage my attention and keep it. This author is certainly one to watch and this is definitely one of the better examples of its particular genre.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/63435390
January 25, 2025
every time the word mandibles was mentioned (86 times, if you’re curious), all I could picture was Tobor from The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Dr. Olivia Loxley (~30s?) | Commander Thelonius Atarian (+~49)
FEATURES
∘ alien-human romance
∘ he abducts her (but only to have her help, not for nefarious reasons)
∘ mate bond
∘ miscommunication/lack of communication
REVIEW
This book was so long even though it really wasn’t. I love when couples dance around each other, but Olivia and Ararian’s tension was marred by the reasoning they couldn’t be together. Angst that a single conversation could solve (that doesn’t take place until near the end) is not for me.
Olivia was That Girl. The woman who everyone loves. The woman with a fierce attitude and badassery. The woman who every man wants and every woman adores.
From strutting in a revealing dress to taking down a gun-slinging alien with a blade, Olivia was a combination of not like other girls and a girl’s girl. There was no reason to hate her, but with every passing page where she became more Perfect™, I found myself liking her less.
She was the epitome of a Mary Sue.
But that’s more than Atarian, who was just obsessed with Olivia and angsty about.
So many moments in this book felt contrived. There was a half-baked reason for sharing a bed, an AI that knew everything and could literally make anything you’ve ever wanted (aside from food), translators and surgeries that gave everyone the ability to understand each other, it was just convenient.
But I’m a simple girlie because I loved the jealousy moments. I loved the cheesiness of some scenes. I didn’t mind that so many hurdles were overcome from advanced technology.
As for the star of the show: the relationship—I mean, this is a romance after all—it was fine. As an introduction to the world to come, it did what it needed to do. I probably won’t remember them, but they were nice for the moment. And that’s really all I could ask for.
OW/OM DRAMA OM — Olivia goes on a date and things sort of start to get hot and heavy (no touching) but she rejects him for Atarian
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no, they’re not together until the third act (plenty of pushing away and rejection prior)
ENDING HFN — couple is happy, secure, and settled (honestly, would’ve called it a HEA but there’s another book that follows them and also no epilogue of the future)
POV dual / first person (Olivia’s) & third person (Atarian and a few side characters’)
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3 / 5
MAIN CHARACTER NAMES AND AGES
Dr. Olivia Loxley (~30s?) | Commander Thelonius Atarian (+~49)
FEATURES
∘ alien-human romance
∘ he abducts her (but only to have her help, not for nefarious reasons)
∘ mate bond
∘ miscommunication/lack of communication
REVIEW
This book was so long even though it really wasn’t. I love when couples dance around each other, but Olivia and Ararian’s tension was marred by the reasoning they couldn’t be together. Angst that a single conversation could solve (that doesn’t take place until near the end) is not for me.
Olivia was That Girl. The woman who everyone loves. The woman with a fierce attitude and badassery. The woman who every man wants and every woman adores.
From strutting in a revealing dress to taking down a gun-slinging alien with a blade, Olivia was a combination of not like other girls and a girl’s girl. There was no reason to hate her, but with every passing page where she became more Perfect™, I found myself liking her less.
She was the epitome of a Mary Sue.
But that’s more than Atarian, who was just obsessed with Olivia and angsty about.
So many moments in this book felt contrived. There was a half-baked reason for sharing a bed, an AI that knew everything and could literally make anything you’ve ever wanted (aside from food), translators and surgeries that gave everyone the ability to understand each other, it was just convenient.
But I’m a simple girlie because I loved the jealousy moments. I loved the cheesiness of some scenes. I didn’t mind that so many hurdles were overcome from advanced technology.
As for the star of the show: the relationship—I mean, this is a romance after all—it was fine. As an introduction to the world to come, it did what it needed to do. I probably won’t remember them, but they were nice for the moment. And that’s really all I could ask for.
OW/OM DRAMA OM — Olivia goes on a date and things sort of start to get hot and heavy (no touching) but she rejects him for Atarian
CHEATING none
THIRD ACT BREAKUP no, they’re not together until the third act (plenty of pushing away and rejection prior)
ENDING HFN — couple is happy, secure, and settled (honestly, would’ve called it a HEA but there’s another book that follows them and also no epilogue of the future)
POV dual / first person (Olivia’s) & third person (Atarian and a few side characters’)
SPICE LEVEL 4 / 5
RATING 3 / 5
March 10, 2024
Is this a fanfiction about Garrus? Pretty sure the main guy is Garrus: tall, has mandibles, is a cop, kinda awkward but also very flirty... 🤔
The heroine has a doctorate in profiling and she actually uses her abilities throughout the entire book. ⚠️This is extremely shocking if you are at all familiar with the SFR genre. She's not a hopeless damsel or a simple bimbo!! She's actually useful and applies her intellect throughout the story!😱
The plot is still pretty straightforward, and the entire romance revolves around miscommunication. But whatever, it's a fun light read, and you won't feel like you're losing too many braincells.
The heroine has a doctorate in profiling and she actually uses her abilities throughout the entire book. ⚠️This is extremely shocking if you are at all familiar with the SFR genre. She's not a hopeless damsel or a simple bimbo!! She's actually useful and applies her intellect throughout the story!😱
The plot is still pretty straightforward, and the entire romance revolves around miscommunication. But whatever, it's a fun light read, and you won't feel like you're losing too many braincells.
November 1, 2024
That’s good shit.
Update: ACTUALLY, this is getting the full 5 stars. I was thinking about this book on my drive into work and this book is such a fucking slay. He's so mean to her for so long hehe.
Update: ACTUALLY, this is getting the full 5 stars. I was thinking about this book on my drive into work and this book is such a fucking slay. He's so mean to her for so long hehe.
August 5, 2023
Disclaimer: I did not realize this book was a two parter until about half way through. I typically only read stand alone couples, and I think that affected my experience of the book. I think the pacing may be fine for a 2 part story but I don’t have a lot of experience with that in romance, so take my review with a grain of salt.
Wowwwww omg where do I start? As a huge Mass Effect fan and lover of Garrus Vakarian (aka my femsheps grumpy cricket husband) I loved so much about this story, with a few minor preferences.
The story is AMAZING. The world building, the conflict, the action, the angst was everything I look for in a sci-fi romance. There were truly alien aliens with unique alien elements that made me feel like I was in another world for sure. I loved Olivia and Thel, though they both drove me crazy in the second half of the book with that miscommunication trope🤣💚. I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication tropes, so that definitely got to me over time, but still was totally captivated by this story.
Olivia is practical, pragmatic, and no push over. Thel is good to his core, to his own detriment. Damn did he drive me absolutely crazy with his “I must protect her even from myself” thing. Though I will admit once the true reason is revealed? Yeah bro you were right to do so cuz that shit crazy (and fascinating).
The relationship pacing was a little slow for my personal preference (which I am shocked to say, as I’m someone who loathes early spice and wants lots of relationship building first). I would say around 75% I started skipping a large chunk of the plot and daily details, I just wanted to get to them FINALLY hooking up and the lovey dovey bits, and at that point I was a bit frustrated, but I think if you are just prepared that this is a SLOW burn then I think it would be fine! Plus the fact there is a part 2! We did get 2 spicy scenes there in the last 85%, the latter of which was SUPER HOT and descriptive/lengthy. I also absolutely DEVOURED this book. I’m not a fast reader but I read it in record time.
Despite some personal preferences, I LOVED so many things about this book. I am absolutely HOOKED on this series and this author. Etta you have a fan in me for sure! Excited for more of this fantastic series and author and can’t wait to tuck into the next book! 💚
CW/TW: Though nothing super explicit happens on page, they are hunting alien sex traffickers, and children are involved, though we DO NOT see anything or read anything horrifically bad happening to them. Nor do we hear any details of the potential horrors, it’s more implied of what children taken by this organization probably go through is bad. I believe the author has a full TW list on her website, so check that out if you have any concerns.
Wowwwww omg where do I start? As a huge Mass Effect fan and lover of Garrus Vakarian (aka my femsheps grumpy cricket husband) I loved so much about this story, with a few minor preferences.
The story is AMAZING. The world building, the conflict, the action, the angst was everything I look for in a sci-fi romance. There were truly alien aliens with unique alien elements that made me feel like I was in another world for sure. I loved Olivia and Thel, though they both drove me crazy in the second half of the book with that miscommunication trope🤣💚. I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication tropes, so that definitely got to me over time, but still was totally captivated by this story.
Olivia is practical, pragmatic, and no push over. Thel is good to his core, to his own detriment. Damn did he drive me absolutely crazy with his “I must protect her even from myself” thing. Though I will admit once the true reason is revealed? Yeah bro you were right to do so cuz that shit crazy (and fascinating).
The relationship pacing was a little slow for my personal preference (which I am shocked to say, as I’m someone who loathes early spice and wants lots of relationship building first). I would say around 75% I started skipping a large chunk of the plot and daily details, I just wanted to get to them FINALLY hooking up and the lovey dovey bits, and at that point I was a bit frustrated, but I think if you are just prepared that this is a SLOW burn then I think it would be fine! Plus the fact there is a part 2! We did get 2 spicy scenes there in the last 85%, the latter of which was SUPER HOT and descriptive/lengthy. I also absolutely DEVOURED this book. I’m not a fast reader but I read it in record time.
Despite some personal preferences, I LOVED so many things about this book. I am absolutely HOOKED on this series and this author. Etta you have a fan in me for sure! Excited for more of this fantastic series and author and can’t wait to tuck into the next book! 💚
CW/TW: Though nothing super explicit happens on page, they are hunting alien sex traffickers, and children are involved, though we DO NOT see anything or read anything horrifically bad happening to them. Nor do we hear any details of the potential horrors, it’s more implied of what children taken by this organization probably go through is bad. I believe the author has a full TW list on her website, so check that out if you have any concerns.
October 23, 2023
I really enjoyed this! This was my first read from Etta Pierce and I'm intrigued. The spicy scenes were on point. I loved the sexual tension, too. This was a slower burn I'd say (which is my favorite!). I liked the idea of convergence. It almost had a fated mates kind of feel to it, without the instalove/instalust. I really enjoyed the fact that the main characters had a HEA without a white picket fence and babies. All too often I find authors write epilogues that are TOO perfect, and they wrap it all up in a pretty bow. This one didn't do that! No epilogue baby, thankfully. I would have really loved to see more of Thel's homeworld and their exploration of it, together. And all the problems and hardships that they might encounter navigating a new world and a new culture. I'm excited to check out the other books, I really enjoyed this one! And I also enjoyed the side characters, especially Pom Pom and Vin!
2nd read: loved this, once again! I can appreciate this more now that I've read through all the completed books. I loved seeing a few of the human women who will go on to have their own book in the future! This is such a great book, especially since it was the author's first. I love how creative and unique it is. Really unlike anything else I have read (and I have read so many scifi romances I've lost count).
2nd read: loved this, once again! I can appreciate this more now that I've read through all the completed books. I loved seeing a few of the human women who will go on to have their own book in the future! This is such a great book, especially since it was the author's first. I love how creative and unique it is. Really unlike anything else I have read (and I have read so many scifi romances I've lost count).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2024
Interesting characters that show growth on page.
Aliens that are very different physically, bordering on unsettling.
Slow burn, dark story lines, interesting adventure, mystery
As book 1 of the series, Convergence is a little rough. I couldn’t quite get on board with the idea of a human behavior expert (criminal profiler) being useful to aliens as a consultant or 100% successful in her interactions with a literal alien culture on her first try, every time. Ultimately the chemistry between main characters, detail in world building and well-paced plot was enough for me to overcome a shaky set up and I enjoyed this enough to read the rest of the series.
The writing in the later books of the series definitely gets more assured with a variety of characters that feel a bit more plausible than this initial book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2022
What a pleasant surprise and this is the authors debut novel? Shocked. It was so well written, well thought out and I love how all alien species were explained with great detail. If you’re fan of sci-fi and romance? This is for you. This was recommended to me because I LOVE the video game Mass Effect and this definitely fit the bill. Especially if you love a certain Turian :)
May 19, 2024
Great Start to an Interesting Universe
✨Alien MF
✨Kidnapped/Captive
✨Strong MFC
✨Possessive MMC
✨Great Side Characters
✨Slow Burn Spice
This was such a fun read. The world building in this is fantastic. Super descriptive without being so drawn out I wanted to skip ahead.
Olivia is a Behaviorist/Profiler for the LAPD and is kidnapped by a groups of aliens. Thel is the Alien commander and kidnapper that chose Olivia specifically to help him stop a human sex trafficking ring.
Olivia is an amazingly strong character. She accepts what’s happening, and barrels through full steam ahead, ready to use her intelligence and strengths where she can.
The slow burn in this was so good. It was a nice slow burn with some good push and pull. Thel was stoic and stubborn at times, but it fit with the story. The two together were good, with mutual respect along side their attraction.
Definitely a good start to what sounds like a really interesting series.
✨Alien MF
✨Kidnapped/Captive
✨Strong MFC
✨Possessive MMC
✨Great Side Characters
✨Slow Burn Spice
This was such a fun read. The world building in this is fantastic. Super descriptive without being so drawn out I wanted to skip ahead.
Olivia is a Behaviorist/Profiler for the LAPD and is kidnapped by a groups of aliens. Thel is the Alien commander and kidnapper that chose Olivia specifically to help him stop a human sex trafficking ring.
Olivia is an amazingly strong character. She accepts what’s happening, and barrels through full steam ahead, ready to use her intelligence and strengths where she can.
The slow burn in this was so good. It was a nice slow burn with some good push and pull. Thel was stoic and stubborn at times, but it fit with the story. The two together were good, with mutual respect along side their attraction.
Definitely a good start to what sounds like a really interesting series.
June 20, 2024
This was sold to me as alien smut... but if it is to be that, then I want weirder and wilder. This is a pretty tame and straightforward "forbidden" romance between a human woman and a human man--no, wait, he's actually an alien commander, except that he is described in exactly the way a human male love interest is: chiseled jawline, muscles in his chest and abs, broad shoulders, sexy anger issues, giant-ass penis. Sigh. If I am to read alien smut, I would at least want the sex to break the limits of my current monospecies imagination.
This new space universe is also poorly developed: we don't really get a solid sense of how these intergalactic species relate to one another and are governed/organized. Everything is very obviously based on human speech, values, and social organization. The linguitor implant that allows species to talk to one another and be perfectly understood also unfortunately allowed the aliens to sound exactly like cringey middle-aged humans trying to act cool.
This new space universe is also poorly developed: we don't really get a solid sense of how these intergalactic species relate to one another and are governed/organized. Everything is very obviously based on human speech, values, and social organization. The linguitor implant that allows species to talk to one another and be perfectly understood also unfortunately allowed the aliens to sound exactly like cringey middle-aged humans trying to act cool.
April 19, 2023
TW/CW: human trafficking
I really loved this more than I thought I would. It’s like if Star Trek had a spicy romance. It’s fated mates but you still have a choice, it’s a slow burn but very nice banter and tension, Olivia (FMC) is very capable, smart and resilient, Thel (MMC) is a capable commander and an idiot in love…there’s a little suspense, very cool world building, each creature sounds unique
Book 5 is Vins story and I love him with my whole heart and can’t wait to read his story. Please let him and Pom Pom find love
Now I have to read this lady’s backlist.
I really loved this more than I thought I would. It’s like if Star Trek had a spicy romance. It’s fated mates but you still have a choice, it’s a slow burn but very nice banter and tension, Olivia (FMC) is very capable, smart and resilient, Thel (MMC) is a capable commander and an idiot in love…there’s a little suspense, very cool world building, each creature sounds unique
Book 5 is Vins story and I love him with my whole heart and can’t wait to read his story. Please let him and Pom Pom find love
Now I have to read this lady’s backlist.
February 13, 2025
Immersive Scifi Romance that was a good set up for what I hope will be a great series. Featuring competent writing, attention to details, and pretty decent alien spice.
I picked this book up because the author, Etta Pierce, recently did a Reddit AMA where she talks about her influences and plans for the characters. I highly recommend checking it out if you are interested at all in this series.
I picked this book up because the author, Etta Pierce, recently did a Reddit AMA where she talks about her influences and plans for the characters. I highly recommend checking it out if you are interested at all in this series.
May 18, 2023
This was.. extremely well-written? I went into this expecting some KU alien smut (which I got) but I didn’t expect this.. literary excellence?
The premise: our human lady, criminal profiler and behavioural psychologist Olivia, abducted from earth by alien special forces for some top secret mission stuff and things. Alien-human first contact. Culture clash. Criminal minds-y plot amazing-ness.
And la pièce de résistance: a delicious ‘falling for my partner’ romance as Olivia worked closely with Commander Atarian—with some particularly spicy sexual tension as she taught him about human sexuality but they tried to stay professional. Oh, and some alien mates goodness.
The characters were amazing. The competence kink of this heroine was making me feel all the feelings. Her profiler brain was such an interesting POV and her thoughts were so well expressed—loved her. And this tortured hero was tying me up in knots! He was so cool.
This was the best sci-fi world building I’ve ever encountered in an alien romance. You know those extremely rare fantasy romances where the fantasy setting and plot is just as good as the best non-romantic fantasy, plus it’s romance plot is just as good as the non-fantasy romance? Well, this book was the sci-fi version of that.
And you know what I find thrilling? When a book has an unexpected plot structure. Events were happening.. not at the %-mark of the book they usually happen at? And when a book can pull this off, I’m such a goner—the book fully takes control of my reading experience. I stop overthinking, stop trying to guess the twists, and I just enjoy.
The premise: our human lady, criminal profiler and behavioural psychologist Olivia, abducted from earth by alien special forces for some top secret mission stuff and things. Alien-human first contact. Culture clash. Criminal minds-y plot amazing-ness.
And la pièce de résistance: a delicious ‘falling for my partner’ romance as Olivia worked closely with Commander Atarian—with some particularly spicy sexual tension as she taught him about human sexuality but they tried to stay professional. Oh, and some alien mates goodness.
The characters were amazing. The competence kink of this heroine was making me feel all the feelings. Her profiler brain was such an interesting POV and her thoughts were so well expressed—loved her. And this tortured hero was tying me up in knots! He was so cool.
This was the best sci-fi world building I’ve ever encountered in an alien romance. You know those extremely rare fantasy romances where the fantasy setting and plot is just as good as the best non-romantic fantasy, plus it’s romance plot is just as good as the non-fantasy romance? Well, this book was the sci-fi version of that.
And you know what I find thrilling? When a book has an unexpected plot structure. Events were happening.. not at the %-mark of the book they usually happen at? And when a book can pull this off, I’m such a goner—the book fully takes control of my reading experience. I stop overthinking, stop trying to guess the twists, and I just enjoy.
June 22, 2024
While this was overall a quick, fun read some things felt off in the emotional arcs ('I can never go home again? No problem, as long as it helps someone else!'). The worldbuilding is interesting, especially in big concepts, but the details were a bit weird here and there.
It wasn't enough to stop me from reading on in the series, but looking ahead the next book is about the female love interest meeting the in-laws (meh), and the other books dive more deeply into the trauma the human characters have in this world. Chalking it up as a fun first read, but not a series I'm looking to continue.
It wasn't enough to stop me from reading on in the series, but looking ahead the next book is about the female love interest meeting the in-laws (meh), and the other books dive more deeply into the trauma the human characters have in this world. Chalking it up as a fun first read, but not a series I'm looking to continue.
October 28, 2022
DNF 15% writing style doesn’t suit and the main character (I have no clue her name even tho I put the book down 2 min ago) just amazingly is the most intuitive knowledgeable person in the universe, and immediately knows enough about an alien culture, linguistic, habits, everything on first sight?
I love first contact books but this was a disaster on that front. Sci fi is hard to get correct you can’t just magic away everything as in fantasy. This Would have been much better if this was not a first contact situation and the MC already knew about aliens.
I love first contact books but this was a disaster on that front. Sci fi is hard to get correct you can’t just magic away everything as in fantasy. This Would have been much better if this was not a first contact situation and the MC already knew about aliens.
March 15, 2023
Story : 📖😭/5
Characters : 👽👽👽/5
Romance : 💕💕💕/5
Spice : 🔥🔥🔥/5
I quite liked this one ! The settings was really original, but the FMC accepts her situation way too fast for a girl that was kidnapped from earth and told she could never go back. The story wasn't realistic, but oh well, what is realistic about an alien romance anyway ? 👀
I liked the premise of the convergence and how the MMC tried to fight it to let the FMC choose if she wanted to be with him. The spicy scenes were always around consent, which I appreciated. The miscommunication trope was over used in this book, but I still liked the romance. It's a medium burn (a bit too fast but not unbelievable).
Not the greatest alien romance out there but still a fun read !
Characters : 👽👽👽/5
Romance : 💕💕💕/5
Spice : 🔥🔥🔥/5
I quite liked this one ! The settings was really original, but the FMC accepts her situation way too fast for a girl that was kidnapped from earth and told she could never go back. The story wasn't realistic, but oh well, what is realistic about an alien romance anyway ? 👀
I liked the premise of the convergence and how the MMC tried to fight it to let the FMC choose if she wanted to be with him. The spicy scenes were always around consent, which I appreciated. The miscommunication trope was over used in this book, but I still liked the romance. It's a medium burn (a bit too fast but not unbelievable).
Not the greatest alien romance out there but still a fun read !
June 5, 2025
Why did this book blow me away? I think most of all it was Olivia’s extraordinary emotional intelligence. She’s a behaviorist, a profiler who must teach her captor how to impersonate a sleazeball playboy-rapist.
Chemistry. Pining. Strong female.
What happens with Vin? Marcella? Roki? Imani? Dr Ahlberg? I need to know.
If I have a complaints it’s that I didn’t really get why Atarian resisted the power of their connection for so long. And that I wanted to see more of his training that first night.
CW for slavery — a bad guy who buys humans and breaks them, and initial NC kidnapping.
Chemistry. Pining. Strong female.
What happens with Vin? Marcella? Roki? Imani? Dr Ahlberg? I need to know.
If I have a complaints it’s that I didn’t really get why Atarian resisted the power of their connection for so long. And that I wanted to see more of his training that first night.
CW for slavery — a bad guy who buys humans and breaks them, and initial NC kidnapping.
August 19, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up
Fantastic debut! This reads heavier on the sci-fi side of things compared to some alien romance but it was right up my alley. Great world building, delicious chemistry and a unique story that felt new to me.
Both MCs were smart and very capable but there was a little miscommunication/lack of communication that did annoy me.
Overall it was a great book and I’ve immediately gotten my hands on the next book.
Fantastic debut! This reads heavier on the sci-fi side of things compared to some alien romance but it was right up my alley. Great world building, delicious chemistry and a unique story that felt new to me.
Both MCs were smart and very capable but there was a little miscommunication/lack of communication that did annoy me.
Overall it was a great book and I’ve immediately gotten my hands on the next book.
did-not-finish
February 17, 2024DNF at 39%.
I liked a lot of it but there were certain things that were starting to irritate me and I don't feel like it.
I liked a lot of it but there were certain things that were starting to irritate me and I don't feel like it.
March 31, 2025
This was good. It’s more heavy on the sci-fi than it is on the romance and that’s okay because the story was really engaging. Looking forward to diving into the next book in the series.
November 15, 2025
Je l’ai lu en même pas 24h 💀💀💀 c’était trop bien ??
Proximité forcée, mates, YEARNING, il vibre littéralement pour elle 🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️ bref je lis la suite aujourd’hui
Proximité forcée, mates, YEARNING, il vibre littéralement pour elle 🙂↕️🙂↕️🙂↕️ bref je lis la suite aujourd’hui
October 8, 2023
Quickish Review
Finally got around to reading this recommendation from a friend and glad I did, it’s an interesting take on the usual abduction trope, with a criminal behavioralist who is kidnapped to help stop a human trafficking ring in space. It doesn’t shy away from or brush aside the trauma but instead meets it head on and it works. Interesting worldbuilding, good character development. Aside from the occasional typos, it’s well planned out and written. And above all, the romance is slow burn and solid with good heat. Looking forward to the next book.
Finally got around to reading this recommendation from a friend and glad I did, it’s an interesting take on the usual abduction trope, with a criminal behavioralist who is kidnapped to help stop a human trafficking ring in space. It doesn’t shy away from or brush aside the trauma but instead meets it head on and it works. Interesting worldbuilding, good character development. Aside from the occasional typos, it’s well planned out and written. And above all, the romance is slow burn and solid with good heat. Looking forward to the next book.
Read
April 24, 2025I wanted to love this book and really wanted this series to become my new obsession , but this book was okay I guess? It wasn’t bad I just didn’t connect with any of these characters :/ I don’t know if I’m going to continue with this series honestly.
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